But how much does the AP preseason poll indicate how things will look at the end of the season? If we look at 2016, the answer is not much.

Although many predicted Clemson and Alabama as the two best teams last year — they were 2-1 in the preseason poll, and finished 1-2 after Clemson's thrilling win in the championship game — the rest of the rankings went through a lot of changes over the course of the season:

Some schools that didn't make the cut for the preseason poll — but did receive votes — worked their way into the final Top 25. Those teams include: San Diego State, Utah, Wisconsin, Miami (Fla.) and South Florida.

Penn State made the biggest jump from nowhere to ranked. The Nitany Lions didn't receive any preseason votes, yet surprised just about everybody in the Big Ten in earning a trip to the Rose Bowl. The Nittany Lions finished No. 7 in the final poll.

Two Pac-12 teams also made big jumps. USC went from 20 in the preseason to third in the final poll. Despite a College Football Playoff loss to Alabama, Washington jumped 10 spots from the first to last poll coming in at No. 4.

It's also hard to forget "Row the Boat" and the magic P.J. Fleck created at Western Michigan. The Broncos were another example of a team who made their way up the AP Top 25 poll. They finished 13-1, with their only loss against Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl.

So who will surprise AP voters and college football fans this season? We'll have to wait and see.

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